The World Spins
by calliepaige221
Summary: What if a young Draco Malfoy was abandoned by his parents, who were soon caught and sent to Azkaban? What if this same Draco Malfoy was then rescued and sent to live with his distant cousins, the Weasleys. The world would continue to spin.
1. Chapter 1

The world spins and life goes on. In one mansion in one part of the world, there's a pretty yard with a rose garden and a quidditch pitch. The house itself is tall and majestic. There are huge arches and ivy draped from the western wall. The house could comfortably fit a hundred people, if they tried. However, the house was empty. Not a single living thing inhabited the grounds, except for a little boy.

"Dobby!" A voice cried out into the darkness. It was nighttime and the fire had long ago gone out. He knew that Dobby was never supposed to let the fire die. "Dobby! I said come!" The little boy, no more than four years old, was curled up in a ball in the middle of his bed. The four poster bed was too elegant for a child of his size and it was a wonder he didn't disappear into the middle of it. The expensive silk comforter had been pushed off the side in his attempt to sleep, but he didn't dare reach down to get it. For a third time, he called out into the night "Dobby!" When all he heard was his own echo, he finally allowed himself to cry.

Christopher Bones hated this type of case. He looked over the sheet of paper in front of him before calling his team in to discuss the next step. At his wave, a group of four men and woman filed into the room, talking amongst themselves.

"Alright!" He quieted them quickly. "Here's the case. Last night, a well known Death Eater and his wife fled the country. All international floo trips are monitored, and this set off our alarms. We sent aurors after them, and the Malfoys were brought in for questioning. Mr. Malfoy was given a few drops of truth serum and admitted to just having attacked and killed some muggles who had the misfortune to attempt to camp in the woods surrounding his house. They were apparently at the borders of his anti-muggle ward. Knowing that he was already on the brink of jail time and that he was supposed to sit trial in a week, they decided just to flee." At this point, Christopher paused to catch his breath. Before he could continue his story, one of the member of his team raised her hand.

"Sorry, Bones, but we're just a little confused. What does this have to do with our department? This sounds like something that should be handled by the DMLE." Christopher nodded his head in understanding before answering her question.

"I was just getting there. According to birth records, the Malfoys have a four year old son. However, when they, the patriarch and matriarch of the Malfoy estate, were both sentenced to Azkaban for murder and accomplice to murder, their house elves were all set free. All of this means that somewhere, there is a scared little four year old boy and we need to get to him before some of their Death Eater accomplices do."

With this being said, the team went into action. Christopher split them up into different departments and within the hour, they were ready to search the estate.

They entered the estate cautiously, as they were unsure of who could be lurking there after the news of the Malfoy's imprisonment hit the front page of the news paper earlier that morning. It was still only nine AM, so they hoped that nobody had thought to go to the estate yet.

"Wands out." Christopher cautioned as they reached the front door. Without any further ado, he reached out and opened the door up. Swinging it open wide, they entered the house, keeping their wands trained to other doors and dark corners. After realizing that there wasn't anything in that room, Christopher turned to his team. "Split up. Two of you that way," he pointed to a hall. "and the other two can go up here." He pointed up a stairwell. As they went their separate ways, Christopher followed the second two up the stairs, assuming that there would be more space to cover on that end. When they reached the second floor, he was proven correct. Sending his team members to the left, he took a right down the hall.

The first door he tried was an empty bedroom, most likely used for guests. The second door was the exact same and he reckoned that they probably even connected with the bathroom. He continued into the third room and quickly dismissed it as being as empty as the others. However, as he turned to leave, something caught his eye. Unlike the perfection of the other rooms, the bedspread in here was pushed to one side, half off the bed. Christopher walked further into the room, toward the bed in the middle. Curled up in the fetal position was a little boy with blond hair. He was wearing what looked like expensive pajamas and he had his thumb in his mouth. He was currently sleeping comfortably, but Christopher could see the tear streaks that shone on his face. Deciding quickly, Christopher reached down and scooped the little boy up into his arms. The boy squirmed a little but did not wake up. Rearranging his arms to hold the limp body better, Christopher let the boy's head rest on his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

As he glanced down the long dark hall, he could see his team at the other end. Calling out to them softly, he told them about what had just transpired. He quickly gathered the rest of the team together and they left the Malfoy estate as quickly as they had entered it. The entire process, they little boy stayed sleeping on Christopher's shoulder.

Once they were back inside the ministry, Christopher passed the boy off to a nanny who would take him to one of the playrooms while the guardianship topic was tackled. Getting out a huge family tree, Christopher's team began looking at possible relatives who could watch over the little boy, at least on a short term basis but hopefully for long term as well. As the list was being constructed, it was obvious who the first choice would be. The boy had an aunt called Andromeda Tonks, who was married and even had a child of her own. Granted, the daughter was already in her first year of Hogwarts, but it still seemed like a perfect solution. Christopher sent people off to contact the Tonks family.

An hour later, it was apparent that the Tonks family was harder to contact then they originally thought. The parents seemed to be out of the country while the daughter was at school . Lacking a better answer, Christopher and his team began contacting more distant relatives for a short term solution. It wasn't until they came across a family called the Weasley's that they got a positive response. The Weasley's already had seven children, but they seemed to be managing fairly well, and they agreed to take the boy for a short while, until the Tonks family could be contacted. The Weasley children were aged from fourteen to three, with the oldest six all being boys.

"The young Malfoy would get along quite well in this family", Christopher concluded.

With this being decided, Christopher had the nanny bring in the little boy.

"Draco," He said, kneeling down to look at him in the eyes, "You're going to stay with some of your cousins for a while, okay?" Without removing his thumb from his mouth, Draco replied

"I want Dobby."

"What was that?" Christopher, unable to understand him, discretely asked the nanny who had been with Draco all morning.

"He said 'I want Dobby,'" she clarified, "He's such a bright boy, very clever and loves music, but he refuses to stop sucking his thumb. Dobby must have been a house elf. He's been asking for him all morning." The nanny smiled down at the little boy, running her hand over the top of his head. Both adults in the room noticed how Draco visibly shrunk away from her touch. The nanny shook her head sadly before saying goodbye to the small boy, leaving him with Christopher.

Christopher sighed, before leading the boy over to the floo connection. It was time to introduce him to the Weasleys.


	2. Chapter 2

Christopher picked up Draco and walked over to the floo. Without further ado, he stepped inside and yelled "The Burrow." Within moments, he was standing in the kitchen of a cluttered, lived-in house. Sitting at the table were three small boys, all with messy red hair. The two younger ones, obviously twins, were banging on the table and kicking their feet while the older one glared at them and silently kept writing on the parchment in front of him. He must have just learned to use a quill, as he was spilling ink droplets all over his paper and the table. Before Christopher could say anything, a lady walked into the room. She had a toddler on her hip and another child only a little older was following behind her, pulling at her skirt.

"Oh!" She noticed Christopher standing by the fire, "You're here already. I must have lost track of the time." With this, she reached over one of the twin's heads and grabbed a paper off the table. Brushing some crumbs off of it, she handed it to Christopher. "Here's the papers. You might want to check to see if we signed in all the right spots. It was rather confusing." She clucked, bouncing the toddler on her hip. Christopher looked the papers she handed him and nodded his head.

"Everything seems to be in order. I guess all that's left to do is introduce you to Draco." Christopher motioned behind him to the little boy. Upon arriving at The Burrow, Christopher had set Draco down and he had immediately hid behind Christopher. Molly set the little girl she was holding on the ground and knelt in front of Draco.

"Hello Draco," She smiled at him. "You can call me Molly." Draco simply looked at her, his thumb persistently in his mouth.

"Well," Christopher clapped his hands together. "I best be off. Contact us if you need anything. We hope to discuss his long term arrangements sometime in the near future." With that, Christopher stepped into the floo and was gone, leaving Molly to introduce Draco to the rest of the family.

"Draco," Molly held out her arms, "Why don't you come here. Let me introduce you to everybody." Draco looked at her, confused. He made no motion to step forward into her arms or to be picked up. Seeing the open arms, the little girl ran forward.

"Mummy!" She shrieked, "Me up!" Molly brushed back the girl's hair from her face and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Not now sweetie." Molly turned back to Draco. Without giving him more choice in the matter, she scooped him up into her arms and stood up. As she did this, she felt Draco's body go rigid in her arms. She tried to move him around to make him more comfortable, but it was obvious to her that he had rarely, if ever, been held. "Draco, precious," Molly began, trying to soothe the child. "This is Percy, he's eight." She motioned to the boy who was writing at the table. "And these are Fred and George," She pointed to the twins, "They're six." She turned around to the two littlest ones, still on the ground. "That's Ron; He's four, just like you. And that is Ginny and she's only three." Draco continued to stare silently at Molly, without moving a single muscle. "Well, now." Molly looked at the oldest three, "You three continue with your school work, then."

Molly, still carrying Draco, walked into the den with Ron and Ginny trailing behind her. Molly set Draco down on the floor as Ron pushed past her, eager to get to the blocks that were in the middle of the room.

"Mummy," Ron stated seriously, 'I'm gonna build a castle." Molly grinned at her son.

"That's wonderful, Ronnie." Molly slowly set Draco down on the ground. "Draco, why don't you build with Ron? Do you want to play with the blocks?" Draco still did not respond, but he walked over to where Ron was sitting. He sat down just out of reach of the block and curled his legs up in front of him. He wrapped one of his arms around his legs and proceeded to watch Ron play.

Molly, trying not to worry, left the two boys for a moment to check up on the older ones. After praising Percy's attempt to write with a quill, cleaning up the spilled ink, and lecturing the twins for stealing biscuits, she walked back into the room where the little ones were. Not much had changed, although Ron's castle had grown quite large. Ginny was attempting to help him, but her building skills were not the best. Just as Molly entered the room, a misplaced block caused the entire tower to smash over. Draco, still sitting on the floor, visibly jumped and Ginny began to cry.

"Baby!" Ron admonished. "You broke it!" As much as Molly and Arthur had attempted to convince them otherwise, all of the boys called Ginny 'Baby.' They had given up persuading them, but Ginny was now at an age where she disliked the nickname and would get mad at them herself.

"Not a baby." She pouted. Molly, hoping to stop a larger fight, grabbed a book from the table.

"Here, children," Molly got their attention, "How about a story?" Ginny and Ron immediately rushed over, squealing in happiness. Ron was easily able to climb up on to the couch and he claimed the spot just to the left of Molly's lap. Ginny was up only a second after him and she settled herself on Molly's other side. Molly glanced over at Draco who was still sitting on the ground, still and silent.

"Draco," Molly called out softly, "Come hear the story." Draco looked up at her but didn't make any indication that he was planning on moving. Molly tried again. Pulling Ginny into her lap, she patted the spot beside herself on the couch. "Here, Draco," She smiled at the boy, "Come sit next to me." Draco slowly stood up and walked over to the couch, as he was climbing up to the spot next to her, Molly realized how different Draco was from Ron. While Ron had been climbing all over the furniture for years, Draco looked as if he had never been allowed to sit on a couch before. It made too much sense, with his wealthy parents, that he hadn't been allowed in any of the Malfoy formal living rooms. Holding the book in one hand, Molly began to read to the children. "Once upon a time…"

Draco was obviously enraptured with the book. By the fourth page, he was sitting closer to Molly. By the eighth page, he was leaning over her lap, just like Ron, to see the colorful pictures. Molly instantly decided that the children were going to hear more than the normal amount of stories for the next few days.

The rest of the afternoon passed in the same manner. When the older boys had finished their schoolwork, Molly sent the entire group of them out to the garden to play. She reminded Percy to watch after Ginny and she set about to finish some housework while the children were occupied. "Seven," She thought to herself, "No, eight, children make quite the mess."

Out in the garden, the twins were chasing after some garden gnomes. They were unable to get rid of them; that was a job for the oldest boys, the ones in Hogwarts. However, they still enjoyed chasing them and often tormenting them, when they could catch them . Percy was pushing Ginny on the baby swing that hung from the lowest branch the gnarled apple tree. This left Ron and Draco to entertain themselves. At Ron's initiative, they began a rousing game of tag, or as Ron called it "you're it." The twins soon joined in on the game. The garden was filled with sounds of children happily playing, until a rather forceful tag of Fred's knocked Draco and himself to the ground. Fred laughed and climbed up, but Draco sat on in the grass, his eyes slowly brimming with tears. Fred and George both noticed that this was different from when Ron cried. Ron cried noisily, getting the attention of everyone in the area. Draco, on the other hand, cried silently. He wasn't looking for someone to come running to comfort him. Deciding quickly, Fred and George both yelled.

"Mummy!"

At their shouts, Molly quickly came running. When she saw Draco sitting on the ground, she quickly picked him up and set him on the old picnic table that wobbled on one side. After inspecting him for any scrapes or bruising, she declared him healthy.

"You are quite fine," She laughed, kissing him on top of the head, "Go and play." Molly soon walked back inside, but she stayed by the window, watching the boys playing. Draco was once again hesitant to join in, but soon enough, the other boys had him running around once more.

The boys played outside for many hours, only coming inside for a snack and some juice. They were quick to return to their playing. Molly allowed them to spend as much time as they wanted in the fresh air. Winter would soon be approaching and the nice days would be rare. Arthur arrived home just before dinner and the boys were eager to introduce him to their new friend and cousin. Ginny, in typical little sister fashion, was running along behind them, always trying to be part of the mix.

"Papa, Papa," the twins chorused. "You gotta meet Draco."

"He's our cousin." They ran over to Arthur, pulling on his jacket sleeves and trying to climb up on him. Ron came running behind them, shouting

"He's my cousin too, papa. We played tag in the garden." Molly walked out of the kitchen when she heard the boys' shouts. She greeted Arthur warmly and helped him to convince the twins to stop climbing on him. It was a moment before anyone noticed that Draco was nowhere to be seen. A quick search found him in the garden where the boys had left him as they ran to greet their father. He was introduced to Arthur, but he quaked in fear as Arthur attempted to introduce himself. Trying to calm the child, Molly laid a hand on top of his head. He jumped at her touch and tried to scoot away.

"Draco," Arthur said in a comforting but firm voice, "We're not going to hurt you. There's no reason to run away." Draco looked up at Arthur and Arthur met his gaze. For a moment, nothing changed. But then, for only a second, there was a glimmer of something in Draco's eyes: something akin to hope.

Dinner that night was as rowdy as ever. The boys and Ginny were as messy as always and Molly made way too much food. Fred and George were attempting to switch places, but their parents saw right them. Much to his dismay, Percy did not. His complaining didn't stop until Molly threatened him with no dessert. Calls of "Mummy, Papa," were heard from Ron and Ginny as they requested more food and drink. Despite all the noise and laughter at the table, Draco sat there silently. He ate with impeccable manners, but he lacked all the social skills that even Ginny possessed. Molly and Arthur shared a glance over the heads of their brood. It was clear to them that this job would not be an easy one.

After dinner came baths and after baths was bed. It took quite a while for all the boys to finish in the one bathroom, and Ginny was long asleep by the time Percy was done. Arthur and Molly went from room to room, giving goodnight kisses and reading stories. Percy, the eldest, had his own room as did Ginny. The twins shared the next room, and the last belonged to Ron and now Draco. In the youngest boys' room , Arthur chose a quick story. Once again, Draco's face lit up as he saw that another book was going to be read to him. Arthur read the book out loud, using funny character voices and pointing out the pictures. However, before long, both of the boys had drifted off to sleep in their bed. Closing the book, Arthur walked to their beds and kissed each one on the forehead before shutting off the lights and leaving the room.

As the lights clicked off, Draco's eyes snapped open. He thought to scream for a moment, but he first noticed where he was. In the room, he could hear the quiet noise of Ron breathing. He could feel the warm, thick, hand-woven blanket on his bed. Rolling over to fact the other side, he fell into a comfortable sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, the Weasley children woke up as soon as the sun danced through their windows. The smells of breakfast drifted through the house and the clamoring of six children getting ready for the day filled the rooms. Molly smiled to herself as she heard the twins argue over who got to wear a blue shirt that day. Arthur walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. As Molly began to place plates of food on the table, the children straggled out of their rooms and into the kitchen. Percy was first, quickly followed by a toddling Ginny.

"I got the baby out," Percy informed his mum, pushing his glasses up on his face as he spoke.

"Well, thank you, Percy," Molly smiled and patted her son on the head, "I don't know what I am going to do when you go off to Hogwarts!" At this, Molly reached down and plucked up Ginny, setting her in a highchair at the end of the table. As Molly adjusted the straps and kissed a babbling Ginny on the head, Ron and Draco came into the room. Ron, knowing the routine quite well, scrambled up in a chair right next to his father. He sat on his knees in the chair, leaning forward to see what foods were on the plates. Draco followed behind him and climbed up in the chair next to him, opting to sit in a normal position, even though he couldn't see over the table. Molly, finishing up with the baby, greeted the two boys.

"Good morning," She smiled at them, "Did you sleep well?" She asked rhetorically, continuing on, "Ronnie, please sit in your seat like a big boy."

"I big boy!" He answered her back, still reaching towards the plates in the middle, now poking at the eggs.

"Yes, Ronnie, you are a big boy, and big boys sit in chairs on their bottoms, not their knees." She reminded him, in her slightly scolding tone. At this, Ron pushed back from the table and plopped down in his seat with a huff.

"Can't see." He whined, the seat being too low down for him.

Molly, without giving him an answer, pulled out her wand and waved it, raising up both his and Draco's seats to a more appropriate level. Ron giggled at the movement.

"Again! Again!" He laughed, but Molly didn't oblige, instead choosing to turn to the stairs, looking for the crash that would signal the twins' arrival. Arthur, now having finished his cup of tea, sighed in content and sat back in his chair. Ginny, noticing her father, reached out.

"Papa!" She squealed, making grabbing motions with her hands. Arthur brushed his hand down the soft curls that sat atop her head. Ginny squirmed, still attempting to get out of her seat. For being the youngest in a large family, she was rather spoiled and used to being held.

At this moment, the twins came strutting in the room. Molly noticed that Fred was wearing a coveted blue shirt while George, scowl present on his face, had been forced into yellow, their least favorite. She and Arthur had set down the rule that the twins could not wear the same color when the boys were three and attempted to switch places for the day. Now, they argued almost every morning about who got to wear which color, but they usually settled it on their own without violence.

"Usually." Molly thought to herself, shaking her head. Arthur gave George a one armed hug and ruffled Fred's hair, pleased that their dispute had been solved without needing the help of the grownups. As the twins sat down, Molly uncovered all the plates and the family began to serve themselves breakfast. Molly quickly served up a heaping plate for Draco and placed it in front of him. He dug in quickly, his eyes widening as he tasted the home cooked food. Ron, on the other hand, attempted to serve himself and dumped an entire plate of toast on the floor. Arthur laughed, waving his wand at the buttery mess and then grabbing Ron's plate before he could try again.

The breakfast was filled with loud chatter, many giggles, and silence from one seat. Draco never said a word, despite the encouragement from Molly and Arthur.

"Draco, are you excited to play outside today?" Arthur asked him, as his other boys, ignoring the name at the beginning of the question, answered enthusiastic and positively.

"Draco, sweetie," Molly tried, "Would you like to help me bake biscuits this afternoon?"

"Me help, Mummy!" Ginny banged on her highchair tray. "Me help."

"Baby," Fred got her attention, "You're too littler to help."

"Too little," Percy corrected him immediately, " You're teaching her to talk wrong." Fred stuck his tongue out in response.

"Boys," Arthur warned, not needing to say more. However, when he, moments later, saw Percy's scrunched up face and Fred's wince of pain, he added on. "No kicking under the table, either."

Soon enough, breakfast was over and Arthur was on his way to work, leaving with five hugs goodbye from his little red-haired troublemakers and a kiss from his wife. The boys, as soon as they were done helping clean up, raced to put on their shoes. Although it was starting to get chilly, outside was their favorite place to be. Molly followed along behind them, tying laces for the little boys and forcing coats on the older ones. Draco seemed to be the least excited about the games the boys were planning.

"And races and tag and hide and go seek," Ron prattled on, as Percy nodded his head, not quite listening. Draco scuffed his shoe on the ground, his head looking down, his thumb back in his mouth. He looked up and held his arms out as Molly put his coat on him, immediately beginning to button it himself. As the other boys ran outside into the crisp fall air, Draco trailed along behind them, not quite left out, but not quite participating either.

Molly watched the procession then shut the door behind them, not knowing that to do. It was so difficult to watch the child, knowing how unhappy and frightened he must be. As temporary as the arrangement was, she was determined to make him feel at home.

The morning passed quickly and soon it was time for lunch. Molly called the boys inside, just after setting lunch on the table. Soup and sandwiches was on the menu, something that Ron and George were especially excited about. Amidst all the clamor and grabbing and spilled drinks, Molly noticed something. Another quiet voice joined in chorus of "no way" when Fred declared that he was the fastest. Another laugh rang out when Ginny spilled her apparently-not spill proof cup of milk on Ron's lap. It seemed as if her boys were doing a better job of making Draco feel at home than she could do.

After lunch, Molly planned to bake biscuits in the kitchen. This had to happen quite often, for her to have enough to send home with guests, not to mention to feed to her brood. She loved allowing the children to help, even though it made the process a lot longer and a lot messier. She quickly set up Percy stirring the dough while she sat the younger five at the table. Once the dough was ready, she gave a large chunk to each child to flatten and form into shapes. Percy joined them at the table and always precise, formed his biscuit dough into little balls that would flatten into perfectly circular biscuits. The twins, on the other hand, were making square shapes and triangle shapes, in honor of what they learned in lessons the day before. Ron and Ginny simply poured sprinkles onto whatever shapes they happened to make. Molly turned her eyes to Draco, watching him interact with the dough. It was obvious that this was his first time, as he glared down at the sticky dough that coated his fingers. Molly quickly gave him some flour to keep it from sticking too much. Draco proceeded to form a person shape from his dough. Before he ran out, he had eight little people, each the size of Molly's hand. He then took the sprinkles and gave them eyes and a mouth. Molly caught he glance and smiled at him.

"Very nice, Draco. Won't these biscuits taste wonderful?" To her surprise, she got a nod in confirmation before he bent back over, still very into his work .

While the biscuits baked, Molly started the boys in their lessons. Only the older three had real lessons, while Ron, Draco, and even Ginny simply colored or worked on letters.

"A..B..C..D..E" Ron whispered out loud as he copied the line of letters. To his left, Draco was struggling with the first. The muggle pencil Molly had handed him, believing that quills and ink were far too messy for children so young, was shaky in his hand. It was obvious that he was unaccustomed to writing of any form. Molly knew that he wasn't, at this point in time, too far behind Ron, but it would take some work to catch him up.

"Baby," Ron was saying, "Nice picture." Ginny grinned back at him, forgetting to pout because of the nickname.

As the afternoon turned to dusk, and Arthur came home, the children ran to greet him, jumping into his arms and shouting about the fun they'd had. After a typical Weasley family dinner, they sampled all the biscuits. It was voted that Draco's were the prettiest, something that made him smile widely. After putting all the children to bed, Molly and Arthur sat down on the couch.

"What are we going to do?" Arthur broke the comfortable silence.

"About Draco?" Molly clarified, "Well, right now, I don't see the need to do anything. We make him feel as comfortable as we can, until the Tonks' can come get him.

"And if they can't? or they never do?" Arthur prodded.

"Well, he seems to fit right in with ours. I say give him a few months and the only difference will be their hair color. He's already becoming louder, more boisterous. He actually spoke at lunch today."

"Did he?" Arthur sighed in relief, "Well isn't that something. Maybe this might work out after all. He just needed time to get used to having so many people around. What did he say?"

And Molly and Arthur talked late into the night about their ever growing family.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the week passed quickly for the Weasley family. As each day passed, little Draco warmed up more and more. He would speak to the boys and Ginny without any hesitation, but he was shy in front of the adults. The morning after the biscuits, he answered Molly when she asked if he had slept well. The day after that, he fought with Ron over a toy, something that Molly and Arthur were almost joyful to see.

"_Gimmie!" Ron shouted, seeing Draco holding his racecar. Ron was particularly fond of his muggle toys that his father bought him. His most favorite were the airplane and, of course, the coveted racecar. Draco, never having seen a toy quite like this, was rolling it across the floor of the den. When Draco didn't answer him, Ron tried again._

"_That's mine, Dray. You give it back!" Draco simply looked over at him and shook his head no._

"_I'm playing." Draco went back to rolling it on the floor, back and forth. Ron jumped up and walked over to where Draco was playing, attempting to grab it from his hands. Draco was too quick for this and he rolled over, hugging the toy to his chest. Ron gave him a little shove and pulled at his hands, trying to uncover the toy. Both boys were yelling now._

"_Mine!" _

"_Give it!"_

_ Before long, this had turned into roughhousing, and not long after that, the toy car was lying on the floor, discarded by both the boys. Laughter rang out, echoing through the halls of the house. Molly and Arthur couldn't help but smile to each other; Ron loved having a brother his own age. _

As it turned into the weekend, Molly awoke to an owl pecking at her window. She let the brown speckled owl in, groaning in frustration as it flew around the ceiling, much too high for her to reach. Eventually, it landed on her nightstand table, where she was able to untie the letter. The bird then flew out the window, obviously not waiting for a response.

**Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, **The letter began.

**Today, November 14****th**** 1984, Ministry's branch of Magical Child Protection would like to meet with your family to discuss the permanent placement of Draco Malfoy. We will be arriving at promptly 12 noon. If this time is not suitable for you, please leave a floo message at the address "Magical Child Protection Wing." We thank you for your support in this matter.**

**Sincerely,**

**Christopher Bones**

** Magical Child Protection**

**Ministry of Magic**

Molly sat down on the bed, the letter crumpling in her hand. They hadn't even been given a week with the boy, and now the Tonks' were here to claim him. She closed her eyes in a futile attempt to control her emotions. It was so easy to believe that he would be a part of their family forever. They certainly wanted it. At this, Molly's eyes sprung open. She wasn't going down without a fight.

Molly filled Arthur in on the situation and together, they decided not to tell the children until later. While Molly cleaned up the mess from breakfast, Arthur dressed the children to go outside. It was already getting chillier, and they would soon be stuck inside the house as winter began. Once let outside, Fred and George ran around the yard screaming for a full lap. Arthur toted Ginny over to the apple tree, placing her in the baby swing and giving it a solid push. Ginny shrieked in laughter, the bright yellow bow in her hair flopping to one side. The twins finished their lap, now attempting to grab a garden gnome. Ron and Draco were just above Arthur's head, climbing up the apple tree to the fort that he had built when Bill was young.

The fort had always been a favorite of the boys. For Bill and Charlie, it was a hide out from the younger kids. They would take off the wooden ladder steps that were pegged onto the tree trunk as they climbed, making sure that no little brothers or sister could follow them up. For Percy, it was a place to read. He absolutely loved action books, and in his tree fort, he could be Robin Hood or Peter Pan, whoever he chose. For the twins, it was a place of mischief. Far too often, they managed to fill a bucket with water and get it up in the tree fort. It was then poured on the head of the next person to walk under them. Ron, on the other hand, was simply pleased that he could finally reach the tree fort. He was constantly climbing up and down, just to prove that he could do it. Draco was following along, right in Ron's footsteps. For Ginny, however, the tree fort was just out of her reach. Arthur shook his head, imagining that another tree fort might have to be built in the oak tree on the other side of the garden. He couldn't see his boys sharing as Ginny got older.

At precisely noon, three pops sounded that indicated apparations. Arthur looked down the drive and saw three people in robes standing at the end of the drive. His heart sped up slightly, knowing that these people had the power to take the sweet little boy who was currently climbing up the tree away forever. As they started to walk closer, Arthur plucked Ron off the first step of the ladder, setting him on the ground.

"Draco," He called up, "Time to come down now." Draco started to climb back down the tree without protest, while Ron, still on the ground, began to complain.

"Papa," He pouted, "We wanna keep playing." Arthur ruffled his hair.

"I know, Ronnie," At this, He took Ginny out of her swing, much to her displeasure. He saw her face scrunch up, and cringed, knowing what was about to occur. A wail erupted as he quickly patted her on the back, attempting to calm her. By now, the three people, two wizards and a witch, had reached the front door. Arthur called a greeting to them.

"Hello there," He attempted to sound cheerful. "Just give me one minute; the children are not excited about playtime ending." The witch laughed at this.

Five minutes later, Molly and Arthur were sitting at the kitchen table across from the witch and one of the wizards, who had been introduced to them as the Tonks'. Christopher Bones, who Molly recognized from a few days earlier, sat at the head of the table. Molly grabbed Arthur's hand under the table as Christopher began to speak.

"Alright, let's go ahead and finish this as quickly as possible." He sighed and set his papers back down on the table. "Arthur and Molly, is Draco happy here?" The two parents looked at each other, and Molly began to speak.

"He's been basically neglected for the first four years of his life. Of course he's happy here." Molly left it at that and Arthur continued on.

"He gets along with our boys, he loves to play with Ginny, and he's become increasingly more open with us. He seems very happy." Christopher nodded his head.

"Do you sense any problems more him fitting in?" Molly paused, remembering what she and Arthur had discussed a few nights prior.

"The only difference between our biological children and Draco is their hair color." Arthur nodded in agreement.

"Well," Christopher faltered. " Andromeda, I believe that you wanted to speak." At this, the Tonks woman looked up at Molly and Arthur.

"We sent our only daughter to Hogwarts this year." She began. "And now, don't get us wrong, we would love to be involved in Draco's life. We just…" She faltered, lacking the words. "We don't know if we are the best people to raise him." Molly looked up quickly, her eyes darting from the Tonks' to Christopher.

"We want him." She and Arthur spoke in unison. Christopher allowed a wide grin to fill his face.

"He's yours then. We couldn't have found better parents for him." Molly squeezed Arthur's hand, barely restraining herself from jumping up and yelling in joy. The next few minutes were a blur as Christopher had them sign paper over paper.

Soon after, their visitors had left and it was time to tell Draco. Molly and Arthur went into the den where all the children had been playing. Draco was walking across the room to where Ron was sitting with the blocks. Ginny was clinging to Draco's hand, chattering happily about her dolls as he basically pulled her across the floor.

"Come on, baby," Draco was saying to her.

"Draco, sweetie," Molly called out, "Can you come sit with us over here?" She motioned to the couch.

"The rest of you come listen too." Arthur added on. As soon as all the children were settled down around the sofa, he continued to speak. "Draco, we just talked with Mr. Bones, the man who brought you here." He began. Draco's eyes widened.

"Oh no no no." Molly patted him on the head, realizing what he must be thinking.

"You're going to stay with us, Draco, and be our son, just like the others." Arthur finished. Draco's eyes widened and he began to question.

"Like Ron?" He asked.

"Just like Ron." Arthur answered him, laughing.

"And like Fred and George and Percy?" He continued. Nodding, Arthur finished the list.

"and like Charlie and Bill."

"And me?" Ginny asked. Molly and Arthur laughed.

"Yes, sweetie," Molly said, dropping a kiss on Ginny's head. "He's our child just like you."

Draco, the words sinking in, jumped up on his feet. He ran at Molly and Arthur who were sitting on the couch. He wrapped his arms around their legs, mumbling into Arthur's pant leg.

"Love you." He had heard Ron say this every night as they went to sleep.

Molly and Arthur looked at each other over Draco's head.

"Love you too." They answered, as Molly scooped Draco up into her lap, hugging him tight.


	5. Chapter 5

_One month later_

"Papa!," A little voice shouted out, "You're home early!" Ron went running towards his father, jumping up on him. Just as Arthur picked up his son, another body barreled into his legs. Draco had the disadvantage of being on the wrong side of the table, and had to run around all the chairs. Arthur paused the act of taking off his scarf and ruffled Draco's hair. Both the boys were talking loudly now; it was obvious that they were excited for the day. Hearing the voices, Ginny came running in.

"Papa!" She echoed her brother's earlier shout. Not able to find a spot on her father to hug, she opted to hug Draco instead. Draco had quickly become one of her favorite brothers. He always wanted to play with her and he didn't play tricks like the twins.

Molly walked into the room to see their children once again climbing all over her husband. She was pleased to see Draco joining in. It had been an interesting month. Draco still had a lot of adjusting to do, but he had made great strides and improvements. She noticed that the more open he became, the more questions he had. Just days earlier, they had discussed house elves.

"_You don't have any Dobbies?" He asked one day when he saw Molly washing clothes._

"_What's a Dobby?" Molly asked, patting the floor next to her for Draco to come sit down. _

"_You know, an elf." Draco put his hands up by his ears to imitate elf ears and scampered over to Molly, watching her wand movements intently. _

"_Like a house elf." Molly clarified. "No, we don't have any Dobbies."_

"_Oh" Draco's eyes were still following Molly's wand. "Why not?" He questioned._

"_We don't need them. We have so many children to help out with all the chores." Molly smiled at her son, knowing that he was most likely raised by the Malfoy house elves._

"_Is that why I have to feed the chickens every day?" Draco looked up at his mother._

"_Yes," Molly laughed, "That's exactly why."_

Just a few days after they had gained legal custody of him, they realized two new aspects of his personality: tantrums and nightmares. The tantrums were easy enough to handle. Molly vividly remembered the first time he was sent to the corner. Now, for Ron and the twins, going to the corner was a daily occurrence. For Draco, however, it was clear that he had never experienced any sort of behavior reinforcement before.

"_SHUT IT!" Draco's young voice screeched at Fred. Fred had been teasing the young boy and Draco was tired of it. At the shout, Molly looked up from the couch where she was knitting._

"_Both of you, to the corner," She scolded, "Fred, we don't tease, and Draco, we don't use mean words like those." Fred, knowing this particular routine quite well, immediately ambled over to the corner. _

"_Sorry, Mum." He said as walked by. He knew by now that it was better not to fight the punishment. Draco, on the other hand, did not move._

"_No." He pouted._

"_Draco," Molly warned. When he still continued to sit on the ground, she went on. "We do not use words like those, even when someone's being mean. You need to go to the corner now." Draco crossed his arms, glaring. Fred, still in his corner behind Molly's back, began to wave to Draco, signaling that he should just go to the corner. Draco shook his head._

"_Draco," Molly said, standing up. _

"_NO!" Draco shouted, "NO NO NO!" He repeated himself over and over, his voice beginning to grow hoarse. Molly simply stood there, waiting for the tantrum to stop. Seeing that he wasn't getting any attention, Draco got louder. Now, his shouts were accompanied by bangs on the floor and kicks at the nearest wall. Molly, a pro after raising Charlie through the terrible twos, did not say a word. Finally, Draco's kicks and banging stopped. The words carried on, slowly getting quieter as time passed. Tears were rolling down Draco's cheeks and he uttered one last "No…" before falling silent. Molly, trying not to shake her head, repeated herself._

"_You need to go to the corner, Draco." Draco stood up and walked to the closest corner, still crying inconsolably. Molly motioned to a wide-eyed Fred that his time in the corner was up. Fred darted over to give his Mum a hug and whisper an apology before quickly leaving the room._

_ Three minutes into Draco's time, his tears had turned into sniffles. By the fourth minute, the crying had basically ceased. Molly sat down on the couch again._

"_Draco," She said quietly, "Come here please." Draco turned and stared at her, a look of misery present on his face. He slowly walked over to her. "What do you say?" Molly prompted._

" '_m sorry." He mumbled. Molly knew not to push it. She held her arms open and Draco fell into them. _

The nightmares were a bit harder to handle. Draco awoke as often as every other night to his own screams. Ron had enough sense to wake his parents as soon as it began. Molly and Arthur had debated moving Ron into Bill and Charlie's room, just for the time being, but decided against it. They knew that his sleep was being disrupted, but they also knew that he would fight them if they tried to suggest he abandon Draco. The two boys were nearly inseperatable, acting just as close as the twins.

Molly shook her head, focusing again on the present time. The children were still climbing all over their father, and a two-part shout signal the incoming twins. Percy was not far behind them.

"Is it time to go?" Percy asked, already grabbing his coat.

"Yes, as soon as we get everyone ready, I have the Ford Angela out front." Arthur answered. The whole family would be traveling to pick the eldest two boys up from Hogwarts for Christmas break. It was still a big adventure for the younger kids, going to see the train. Bill and Charlie lucked out this year. Because of the day that Christmas fell on, and the necessity of being off for full weeks at a time, their break this year was an extended one. Both boys had written in their letters home how pleased they were to get more time off lessons, but neither mentioned their pleasure of getting to spend more time with their younger siblings. Molly chose to believe it was simply an oversight on their parts.

Molly grabbed Ginny's coat, motioning for the young girl to hold her arms out. Once Ginny's coat was securely buttoned, Molly wrapped a scarf around her neck and pulled a hat down on her head. Ginny fidgeted, not liking her worn winter clothing. All the boys quickly finished dressing in their coat and scarves. Draco was wearing a Weasley jumper of Ron's underneath his coat. Arthur grinned as he noticed this, knowing that Molly had already knit the boy his own for Christmas.

"Alright," Arthur said loudly, "Outside we go." The children all scrambled for the door, talking loudly and still buttoning their coats. Once outside, they were all loaded up into the extended seats in the Ford Angela. The twins were placed on either side of Percy, in order to insure the least amount of trouble making. Ron, Ginny, and Draco were in the far back seats, playing some game that involved yelling out colors as they drove.

When they arrived at King's Cross Station, it was hectic. Arthur led the way to the platform with Percy right by his side.

"Draco, Ron," Molly instructed, "Please hold onto Ginny's hands, will you?" She knew that it would be easier to keep track of them if the three stayed together. "Freddie, George," she continued, exasperated "Don't wander off."

Ron and Draco each grabbed one of Ginny's hands. She pulled them forward, wanting to be the first to see her eldest brothers.

The train station was full of people. No less than four people bumped straight into them as they walked to the platform. All the muggles were hurried but still in good cheer, celebrating the Holiday season. Once inside the platform, they felt more at home. Owls were squawking as people exited the train. As each student got off, they walked to their families, usually greeting them with a hug. The younger children, most likely first years, sprinted off the train, barreling into their parents. Draco looked around to vast room, taking it all in. He, being an only child prior to the last month, had never been to Platform 9 ¾ before. For Ron and Ginny, this was exciting but a rather common occurrence. They had been visiting this place since they first sent Bill off to school, before Ginny had even been born.

Just then, Charlie and Bill got off the train. Draco recognized their hair instantly. As the boys walked up to their family, dragging their trunks behind them, Draco began to worry. It occurred to him that the older boys, so loved by everyone from Percy to Ginny, might not like him. Before he had time to ponder this, Arthur was stepping forward, drawing the younger one into a hug. Molly was already fussing over the older one, taking the bird cage from his arms. As Draco watched, he felt Ginny tear her hand from his. She and Ron both, quickly followed by the twins and even Percy, ran to their brothers, hugging them. Bill, the older boy, age fourteen, had picked up Ginny and was tickling her with one hand. George was hanging from his other arm. Ron was being tossed up into the air and caught by Charlie, the twelve year old. Fred was eagerly waiting his turn, while Percy was simply talking to his brothers, asking about school.

"You got detention?" Percy's eyes were wide, "What did you do?"

"Well, Professor Snape doesn't like it if you forget your homework, especially if you forget it the same day one of the first years blew up his potion." Charlie answered, laughing. At the words "Blew up," The twins' mouth's dropped open, quickly turning into matching grins.

Arthur noticed that Draco was holding back, not interacting with the rest of the family. He motioned to Bill and Charlie, who both stepped forward, introducing themselves to the boy who had recently become their brother. Draco introduced himself back, smiling slightly. Molly and Arthur began to herd their children out of the platform and to the car. It was a tight fit, but they got everybody and the trunks into the car. Once they got home, Molly rushed to the kitchen, already planning a huge dinner. Bill and Charlie unpacked their stuff, aided by their younger siblings. When Arthur went to get them for dinner, the older boys had sat the six younger ones all on Bill's bed and were teaching them a Gryffindor chant.

"GO GO Gryffindor!" Charlie would yell and all the little voices would echo him. "Lions are the best, Better than the rest." He continued on, the kids laughing and singing with him. Arthur was sad to break up the scene, but dinner was hot on the table. As soon as he mentioned this, there was a mass exodus to the kitchen. Bill was in front, with Ginny under one arm. Her face was turning red from a combination of being half upside down and laughter. Ron and Draco tried futilely to keep up, but their shorter legs just couldn't do it.

Once they were all seated, Molly brought out the dishes. They were quickly loading up their plates. It seemed as if the noise at the table had tripled. Bill and Charlie were entertaining the family with stories from their semester at Hogwarts. The family stayed at the table until almost bedtime, talking and laughing. Bill rubbed his stomach once he finished his pudding. Although the food at Hogwarts was amazing, it didn't quite measure up to his mum's cooking.

AN: Please Review! Next chapter, Christmas.


	6. Chapter 6

The very next day, Draco awoke to a loud burst of laughter. Before he could comprehend the noise, hands grabbed him and lifted him out of bed. He tensed up as he was tossed over the person's shoulder. From this vantage point, he could see that Charlie was holding both him and Ron, the source of the laughter. Bill was standing next to him, holding Ginny in his arms.

"You look silly," Ron was telling her, "you're upside down."

"Good morning, little boys!" Charlie laughed, spinning around. "You slept in! We gotta go eat breakfast before we get the tree!"

"The tree!" Ron repeated joyfully, remembering years past. Charlie and Bill walked out of the room, still carrying their youngest siblings.

After a quick, filling breakfast, everyone dressed in their warmest clothes. Molly fretted, pulling jumpers over the heads of the younger ones and passing out gloves to the older few. Draco, already in a jumper and a coat, along with his mittens and boots, had a hat shoved lovingly on his head. Ron, in a similar state, laughed, trying to move his arms up. Ginny was struggling to walk with all of her layers, which wasn't a problem: Bill was always carrying her anyways. Finally, the family moved in mass out the front door. Arthur, off work for the weekend, led the way. The rest of the family clumped behind him. Fred and George darted through the trees, pegging each other, and often other family members, with loosely packed snow balls. After one throw that nailed Ron in the face, Bill retaliated, scooping up an armful of snow and dropping it on both of their heads. Just as the little ones were complaining about the cold, they reached the edge of the forest. Molly reapplied the warming charms and let them loose.

Each child was shouting out favorite trees as they passed by. Molly and Arthur followed behind, looking for the best tree to fill their den for the next week. Draco, getting better at adapting, followed behind Ron. Soon enough he was shouting out his own favorite trees just like the others. Suddenly, Arthur's loud voice rang out.

"We've found it. Come look!" The children all raced to their father where their eyes grew big at the sight of the tree. In all seriousness, there was nothing different or special at all about this tree. It was simply the fact that it was theirs. Arthur had all the kids scoot far away and sent a quick cutting hex at the tree's trunk. A quick "Winguardium Leviosa" had the tree floating above their heads as they raced back to the house. Draco found that his legs had suddenly become tired. Although his time with the Weasley's had made an improvement, he was still not quite as active as a child his age should be. He was more likely to be sitting and looking through a picture book than running outside with his brothers. Bill, noticing Draco dropping behind, slowed his walk.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked the slowly walking, silent boy.

"My legs hurt," Draco took his thumb out of his mouth to say. He liked Bill, despite their short relationship.

"Well here," Bill transferred Ginny to his other arm and reached out, "Come on up." Draco jumped up into Bill's arm, snuggling up to his shoulder. Bill wrapped his arms around his little siblings and continued to the house. As Molly saw him, she held out her arms, silently offering to take one of them. Bill shook his head, laughing and stating that "neither of them weighs more than an ounce." Molly smiled at her oldest son, knowing how much he missed his younger siblings during the school year. Ginny, she expected, but it seemed as if he had become quite attached to Draco as well.

Before long, they were all back to the house, where Molly set about making some hot coco for the family. Arthur and Bill were in the den, finding the best way to set the tree up. Once they maneuvered it to the corner, a quick sticking charm would hold it in place. As Molly dished up the hot coco and added marshmallows on top, the children sat patiently on the couches and chairs. Ginny and Draco were both sitting in Arthur's huge arm chair, while the twins and Ron sat on the couch. Charlie was walking back and forth between the tree and his younger siblings.

"Here you are, dears," Molly passed out the spill-proof mugs to her brood. George's eyes lit up as he saw what she had.

"Yes," he shrieked, "I love hot coco." Above all the others, George loved chocolate. Consequently, he also had the best collection of chocolate frog cards. Molly turned on the wireless to play Christmas music as they warmed up after their adventure outdoors. The snow was coming down hard outside and the ground already had a deep, fresh layer over the snow from the day prior. After finishing their drinks, Ron, Ginny, and Draco all had their faces pressed up against the window, watching the snowflakes fall. Charlie wandered over, teaching the kids how to draw pictures in the frost that stuck to the window glass.

Soon enough, they had finished getting the tree set up and it was time to decorate. Molly turned the Christmas music up louder and they sang along as they worked. Molly and Arthur charmed the lights and the ribbons to wind themselves around the trees while the children placed the ornaments on the branches. Bill and Charlie took care of the highest ones while the twins and Percy decorated the middle. The lowest branches were reserved for the youngest three. On one trip over to the tree, Draco stumbled over the rug. The red bulb that he was holding clattered to the floor, shattering into a multitude of pieces. Immediately, tears welled up in his eyes, as he stepped away from the mess, fear etched onto his face. Percy, being the closest, quickly reassured him.

"Oh, it's okay," Percy reached out, "the twins break them all the time." The twins loudly proclaimed differently. Percy was not usually the one to be comforting the younger kids; he was more likely to demand that they follow the rules. Charlie, realizing this and noticing that Draco was still uncomfortable, joined in.

"Really, Draco, at least one breaks every year." He leaned down to whisper to the boy, "it's practically tradition!" At this, Draco's eyes brightened and he smiled brightly when Arthur cast a "reparo" at the shattered bulb.

Soon enough, all the ornaments were on the tree as well as the lights and ribbons. The family stepped back to admire their work.

"It's pretty," Ginny sighed, thumb in her mouth. She had quickly caught on to Draco's habit of sucking his thumb, and as much as the Weasley parents protested, they were both hooked.

The next week passed quickly for the large family. The days were spent doing all of their Christmas traditions. After the tree came the Christmas biscuits. Molly baked a batch of biscuits with each and every one of her children individually, allowing them to choose what type to make.

"Bill made peppermint biscuits, Charlie made sugar biscuits, Percy made chocolate chip…" Molly ran through the list out loud, writing it down as she talked to herself. "Fred always makes oatmeal raisin. George is, what else, double chocolate fudge."

Draco wandered into the room, watching as Molly wrote the list on her small chalk board in the kitchen. She, not noticing his entrance, continued on.

"Let's see, Ron is peanut butter biscuits, and Draco…" Molly faltered. She turned around, noticing Draco in the room. "Draco, sweet, come here." She called out. "I need to know what type of biscuits you want to help make."

"I dunno." Draco shrugged. "anything."

"Well," Molly thought for a moment. "How about gingerbread ones?" Draco nodded his head enthusiastically and Molly added his name below Ron's. She quickly wrote that Ginny made white chocolate ones and set the chalk down.

It took quite a few hours to get through all of the children, but Molly cherished the time she had with each one. It was easy to see who had talent in the kitchen at such a young age, something that never failed to amuse Molly. After a full day in the kitchen, the house smelled of biscuits as the children fell asleep. Molly boxed the last of the biscuits, knowing that most would be sent to friends and family as gifts. As she tied the last bow on the box of biscuits, she sighed, knowing that she still had to wrap the presents for her children.

That night, it snowed quite a lot. Once the children were up and moving, Molly sent them outside to play in the snow. She planned to use the time to wrap gifts. Once outside, Bill and Charlie organized games. They quickly had the younger ones making snow angels and building snow forts. Fred and George were only interested in making snow balls, so they had to be told to play nicely rather often. The children trooped inside every hour or so for another serving of hot coco to warm them up. As the afternoon passed, the babies of the family fell asleep and the older ones snuck out to go sledding. The sleds were quite too fast for Ginny, Draco, and Ron, but the older boys knew that they were sure to want to try it if given the chance.

The days passed quickly as they prepared for Christmas. Soon, it was Christmas Eve. The family went about their day as usual, playing in the snow and eating biscuits and singing along to the screechy voices on the radio. As it grew closer to dinner, Molly prepared a delicious meal that filled them up. After eating, they all traveled to the den where Molly and Arthur sat them down, handing out one present each. All the children opened them at the same time, none, except Draco, surprised to find a new pair of night clothes. All of the children raced to their own rooms to dress, Molly following behind to help Ginny. Draco and Ron were done first, wearing matching red night clothes with attached feet. Molly knew that the boys would love them, if only for the purpose they had just discovered. Both boys were racing down the hall, sliding, holding onto the handrails for support. Laughter rang out as Ginny squirmed, eager to go join her brothers. The rest of the boys soon filed out, heading back into the den, pillows and blankets in hand. Molly stopped by the youngest boys' room, grabbing their things for them. Once there, the children got straight to work, setting up a sleepover on the floor in the den. It was another tradition for the children to all sleep in the same room, in hopes that they would wake to see Father Christmas delivering the presents. Bill and Charlie were beginning to think that they were too old for this silly tradition, as thus, they slept on the couches instead of the floor. Molly shook her head, knowing that it was just a phase they boys were going through.

The little ones danced around, too eager to sleep.

"I'm not tired," Draco proclaimed.

"You have to be!" Ron was shocked. Fred nodded his head.

"If you're not asleep soon, Father Christmas won't floo to our house and leave us gifts." At this, all of the young children quickly got into their makeshift beds on the floor. Molly tucked them each in as Arthur grabbed a Christmas book off the shelf, reading them to sleep. Slowly but surely, they each dropped off, the room filled with the quite sound of them breathing. Molly and Arthur left quietly, knowing that they still had to move all the presents under the tree for when the children awoke.


	7. Chapter 7

Draco awoke with a start as something landed rather painfully on his back.

"Up!" The person pinning him down, who he now knew to be his younger sister Ginny, shrieked. "Happy Christmas! Father Christmas came." She sang out, her red curls still tangled from sleep.

"g'morning," Draco grumbled, rolling over to push his sister off. He looked around the room, to a scene which he knew well by now. All eight of the children had slept in the den. The big boys had the couch and the armchair, but Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Draco himself were all on blankets on the floor. The fireplace had died down to glowing embers, and blankets had been kicked off throughout the night. However, due to the shrieks and the voices in the room, the others began to still. First was Fred, who quickly shoved his twin, reminding him of what day it was. By now, all the children were awake in the room.

"Happy Christmas!" the older boys were saying as they climbed out from the blankets, rubbing their eyes and yawning. Little Ron was refusing to get up, his bleary mind not remembering the significance of the morning. Charlie was quick to fix it, picking him up and tickling him until he shrieked with laughter.

When no noises came from upstairs, the Weasley children soon realized that they would have to wake their parents themselves. They trooped upstairs, Fred and George leading the way. Once they got to the door, Bill slowly creaked it open before they flooded the room, shouting out "happy Christmas." They were joyful to see that their parents were already awake and ready to come down stairs. Molly and Arthur wished their children Happy Christmas and led the group back downstairs. Molly set to making breakfast quickly, knowing that the children were eager to open gifts. It was a family tradition to eat before presents, in hopes to extend the length of the celebration.

Once they were all seated around the table, Molly dished out the delicious breakfast that she had prepared, smiling as her children dug in. The conversation was merry and light, and the meal was quick to be finished. Within the half hour, they were back in the den, circled halfway around the tree. Arthur began the task of separating out the presents, and allowing each child to see which ones were his or hers. Once he was done, the opening began. Paper was soon flying everywhere as the children dug in. Everyone had a famous Weasley jumper, a stocking full of sweets, and one other small gift. Draco was joyful to see his dark green Weasley jumper, which he quickly tried to pull over his head. His arm, however, got stuck in the wrong whole and Percy had to step in to help. Once they got that settled, Draco began to dig though his stocking. He was pleased to see sugar quills and droobles best bubble gum. Ron, right beside him, had Bertie Botts every flavor beans. George, on the other side, had quite a few chocolate frogs. He could also see that Ginny had ice mice among other things.

Once the children had seen all the sweets, they moved on to the other present they got. Draco was pleased with his gift of magical story books. Upon opening it, he ran to show his mum, spending the rest of the morning snuggled in her lap. Ginny had a new doll, something the boys thought was rather funny. Ron had a beginners chess set, something that looked rather confusing to Draco. Ron, however, grinned and tried to open it right there. The twins had toys, Percy had books, and Bill had color changing quills and invisible ink. Charlie however, had the best present of the year. He opened his gift from his parents to find a used, but still in great condition, Cleansweep 4. The broom was, at most, two years old. Charlie's eyes grew huge as he took it, in, mentally calculating his chances of making the house team with this broom. His father smiled at him.

"Now, we expect you to win Gryffindor some games with this," he laughed, taking in Charlie awe-filled gaze.

The rest of the day passed quickly for the family. The children were eager to play with their new toys. Charlie even shared his broom, allowing Bill and Percy a go on it and taking the younger kids up himself. Before Draco's first ride on a broomstick, Molly made sure he would be warm enough. He wore his new Weasley jumper, the first that was actually his, and a thick coat. Molly still cast a warming charm on him, knowing that it would be rather chilly in the wind. Charlie loaded his little brother onto the broom, securing him with the strap that his father had ever so thoughtfully provided. Once he mounted and kicked off, Draco was shrieking with joy. He refused to hold on, simply allowing Charlie to balance for him. As Charlie swooped and dove, Draco's face was filled with the hugest grin. Once his turn was over, he was always next in line for another turn on the broom. Charlie played the part of the dutiful big brother, allowing them as many turns as they wanted. Ginny and Ron weren't far behind Draco in terms of enthusiasm.

That night was the Weasley family Christmas party. All of the extended Weasely's came to the Burrow to celebrate. There was plenty of food, music, and fun cousins to play with. Many of the cousins went to different schools other than Hogwarts, so it was entertaining to get to see them just twice a year. Draco was introduced all around; most of the adults had been briefed previously on his situation. The cousins accepted him without any hesitation and he was quickly running around with the rest of them, stealing biscuits from the kitchen and chasing his little sister around.

Ginny, the only girl of all the cousins, often had to endure the torment from the other children. However, if anything went too far or she got upset, her brothers were quick to step in and defend her. Draco was forced to do just this when their cousin Sam, who was Fred and George's age, took Ginny's new doll away from her. A shout from Draco brought the other Weasley boys running, and Sam was quickly discouraged. The adults socialized merrily while the children darted to and fro, playing some sort of tag. Molly passed out the rest of the biscuits as gifts to the family, including jumpers or scarves for some of her closer relatives. The children received many biscuits in return, some new story books, and some other little gifts from their family members. The party went on long into the night, but the children were tucked into beds as they fell asleep, only to half-awaken every so often as cousins were claimed and carried home by their parents. Ron and Draco fell asleep quickly, absolutely exhausted by the day's activities.

The season of celebrating certainly was not over. They celebrated the new year with a large amount of zeal. Of the children, only Bill and Charlie managed to stay awake until midnight to ring in the new year. Percy got rather close, but dozed off just before midnight.

Soon enough it was time for the oldest Weasley boys to go back to Hogwarts. The family all traveled to the train station to see them off, Molly tearful as always. This time, they had one more little brother to hug goodbye, instructing him to be good while they were gone, and not miss them too much. As they waved goodbye from the train, they found themselves both eager and sad to be going back to school.

The rest of winter passed without any major events. The Weasley's simply enjoyed each other's company.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: So I had no intentions of finishing this story. It has been so long since I started it, and I originally had planned for it to be an epic length story. However, I was reading some fan fiction, came across a story I liked, was looking at the author's profile, and found myself listed under their favorite authors. So I reread my own story. It's been a year since I have even thought, let alone looked, at it. As I read it, I read it from an outsider's perspective. Gosh, it has been so long, I didn't even remember writing those words. My own plot surprised me. Little fluff moments made me smile. And, well, I was intrigued. How often do you come across an abandoned story and just wish you could steal it and finish it so you could keep reading more? In a way, that's what I'm doing. The only difference is that I wrote the story in the first place. Don't get your hopes up. I don't know if I will ever finish this story. I don't even know if I will ever update again. But for a moment, I was intrigued enough to write another chapter. It turned out a little shorter than I planned, but it simply exists, plot wise, to show the passage of time and the ageing of the children. Enjoy.

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"Mummy!" A shout rang out from the upstairs hall, followed by another yell and the sound of roughhousing. As Molly stood up and walked to the bottom of the staircase, a blur of blond hair and tears ran into her midsection.

"Draco!" She exclaimed, holding him at arm's length so she could examine him for obvious injuries. "What happened? What's wrong?"

He sniffled and looked up at her, wiping the tears off his face. "Ronnie." He muttered.

"Of course, sweetie. What did he do this time, hmm?" Molly asked him, holding in her laughter. The two fought like none other, but still happened to be the best of friends. They were the definition of brothers, pure and simple.

"He said I'm not a real Weasley, because I don't have red hair, and that non-red haired Weasleys get sent away and have to live with Auntie Muriel!" The poor child wept about this seemingly realistic injustice. "I don't like Auntie Muriel! She smells like cats and she pinches our cheeks!"

Molly snorted in an attempt to stifle the laughter once more. Draco looked up at her and proceeded to get even more upset. His tears were falling like a leaky faucet, his nose was starting to run, and he now had the hiccups. " Please don't make me go! Please, Mummy!"

Molly couldn't help but smile as he called her that. It was hard to believe that it was only six months ago that he had joined the family. However, the last month had been quite rough, for a completely unrelated reason. Ronnie celebrated his fifth birthday in March, and then the twins celebrated their seventh in April, and they all seemed to realize that Draco was the youngest of the boys. Ron grew to love this 'big brother' role, as he was able to pick on Draco in a way he could never pick on Ginny. As hard as Molly and Arthur tried, the boys were relentless. Needless to say, they were all looking forward to Draco's birthday in June, when everything would go back to normal, age wise at least. For now, Molly just comforted her youngest son.

"There, there" She hugged him. "You never ever will have to go live with Auntie Muriel, no matter what color your hair is, understand me?" Draco nodded his head, savoring this alone time with his mum. "Ronnie!" Molly called out. "Come down here for a moment."

Ronnie thumped down the stairs, freezing when he saw Draco's tear streaked face. He quickly turned around and started climbing back up the stairs. "Ron!" As his mum's second call, he poked his head through the banister.

"Yes, Mummy?" He asked, giving her a shy grin.

"I think you have an apology to make." Molly left it at that, knowing that Ronnie knew what to do.

"I'm sorry, Drake. I won't lie again, I promise." Draco stared back at his, before nodding his head in acceptance. "Friends again?" Ron asked, his smile hopeful.

"Yeah, I guess." Draco sighed, before brightening up. "Race you to the swing…Go!" And with that, they were off. Molly finally let out the laughter she had been holding in. As she walked into the kitchen, passing the front door, she noticed the boys' shoes still in the pile in the basket. Once again, she was thankful that the weather was warm enough for the children to run around barefoot outside.

Just as Molly was finishing cleaning up from lunch, she heard another two feet clamoring down the steps. "Mummy!" Her youngest was still only three, but she was growing before their eyes. "up!" Ginny commanded her. Molly was all too happy to oblige. After all, Ginny was the only one still small enough to be held like this. Ginny laid her head down on Molly's shoulder, and Molly heard her grumble. "No nap."

Molly clucked at her little girl, telling her "Yes nap," as she carried her to her room. Ginny was none too enthusiastic to be sleeping, so Molly rocked her in the rocking chair. Looking out the window, she could see that the twins had joined Ronnie and Draco outside. She made a mental note to check the older boys' schoolwork after she got Ginny down. Molly hummed as she rocked her baby to sleep, smiling at the playful shrieks that drifted up to the second floor window.

Meanwhile, the four youngest Weasley boys were engaged in a vicious battle.

"No!" Shouted Ron, "you can't be Harry Potter. Pick a different super hero." Draco joined in, fighting for the cause.

"Yeah, Fred. That's no fair. Harry Potter always wins. Be somebody else." Fred considered listening, if only to get the little ones to stop whining at him. His decision was made when he saw the glare on his twin brother's face. It seems he had a decision to make.

"Fine." Fred grumbled. "I'll be William the Wizard, but I better be allowed to cast spells on the bad guys, or I'm gonna go back to being Harry Potter." With these words spoken, the battle was back on.

For hours, the boys ran around, fighting off the invisible bad guys and defending the back yard. With a little bit of help from the nearby trees, sticks became their wands and swords, helping them protect themselves from evil forces. Much to Fred's excitement, it turns out William the Wizard was more than able to cast spells. Molly was almost sad when she had to call them inside for dinner. Ginny and Percy, along with Arthur, fresh home from work, were already seated around the table. Percy was entertaining his sister.

"Baby," he called out, "look at this!" He pulled out a bouncy ball out of his pocket, and dropped it onto the table of her highchair. She squealed as it bounced back up towards her face, her messy red curls falling in her face.

Molly was back from calling the others inside. All four of the younger boys ran inside still yelling, hugging their father, and pretending not to hear their mother tell them to wash their hands. Within minutes, the entire family was seated around the table, enjoying this time and food together. Soon it would be the weekend and they would have plenty of time to spend with their father. But until then, they simply explained to him each and every moment of the hours that he had missed. Over the heads of their large family, Arthur met Mollys gaze and smiled. "Surely," he thought to himself, "We must be the most blessed family in the world." Eventually, it would be time for baths and bed, but for now, they just enjoyed the time spent together.

AN: Well, that wasn't so bad. Leave me a review letting me know what you think. Should I keep this thing going?


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